Siege of Nice (1494)

The Siege of Nice (1494) was a siege action of the Italian War of 1494-98 that occurred when the French general Robert de La Marck conquered the Provencal city-state of Nice on the Mediterranean Sea. The city's fall allowed for the French to secure a vital stronghold on the border with Italy.

In 1494, King Charles VIII of France embarked on a series of campaigns in the Italian peninsula to claim the throne of the Kingdom of Naples, and he also fought against the Republic of Florence and several independent city-states. King Charles had his generals at home conquer the independent city-states along the Italian border in order to secure a foothold in northern Italy, thereby shortening the French supply lines. His general Robert de La Marck was entrusted with the command of an 846-strong French army, which was sent to take the city-state of Nice. The city was defended by a 360-strong Nicois garrison commanded by Virgilio of Nice, all of whom were mere peasants. The French employed the use of organ gun artillery to breach the gate defenses of Nice, and the French cavalry proceeded to charge into the city, followed by the infantry. The Nicois troops were overwhelmed, but they fought to the last. The city was taken with 140 French losses, and the Council of Nobles rewarded King Charles by raising 4 units of horsemen for his campaigns.